Once Before
by WriterFreak001
Summary: I HAVE CHANGED THIS RATING TO M. This is just a three part story that will explore the possibility of Walter actually meeting Paige and Ralph BEFORE September 22, 2014.
1. Chapter 1

**WriterFreak001:**

I was having trouble writing the last chapter to _Worth_ , so this is what happened instead.

This story is a bit AU, merely because it showcases a reality where Walter had met Paige before Scorpion.

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 **Title** | Once Before

 **Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

 **Description** | I had a plot bunny and had to let it hop. :) This is just a three part story that will explore the possibility of Walter actually meeting Paige and Ralph BEFORE September 22, 2014.

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for the third chapter.

* * *

 **Once Before**

 **Written by WriterFreak001**

 **Part 1**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

As much as Walter O'Brien loved technology and coding and reminding people of his remarkable IQ, he absolutely hated his job. He hated authority and tracking people down and leaving two hours early so his rundown Datsun could get him to work on time, but if it wasn't for the pay rate, he would quit immediately.

Unfortunately, there was just too much at stake.

On top of paying for his sister's medical bills, he had been putting away a decent amount of savings each paycheck, hoping, one day, his funds would be his ticket out of this godforsaken bank. Walter just had to endure another few months before he could make a deposit on the company he hoped to start as a side gig.

But with the type of job he had at the bank, waiting for a few months to pass by was easier said than done. Just even getting through one day without arguing with his arrogant, unintelligible boss was nearly impossible, but if he wanted to ensure the start of and survival of his future company, he had to constantly remind himself why he was _still_ working for them.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Ricky Muniz, the oldest teller at the bank, leaned his round belly forward and peered over the counter, "I sympathize with your situation, truly, I do, but there's nothing I can do for you…. You still haven't paid back the last loan you borrowed."

Walter glanced at the young, distressed woman – no older than 22 at the most – in front of the counter as she scooped a small boy into her arms, and he watched her carefully. "Please, sir," the woman's voice cracked as her eyes welled up with tears, "Please. I h-ha… I have a son, and if I miss my rent again…."

"As much as I would like to help," Ricky lowered his soft voice gently, "I can't…. Company policy states that clients must pay down previous, outstanding loans before applying for a new one."

"But I—"

"No buts," Ricky held up his hand, silencing the woman. "Now unless you're here to _pay down_ your loan from last month, there is nothing I can do for you."

The woman inhaled deeply and blinked her eyes before looking at the ceiling. She then shifted the boy's weight in her arms as he stared mindlessly at the clock on the wall while sucking his thumb. "Let's go, baby," she gently turned and pressed a soft kiss to her son's cheek before backing away from the counter. "We'll figure something out."

The boy made no indication that he heard his mother and didn't seem to return the woman's affection as he continued staring at the wall clock. Walter began to observe the pair exiting the bank as the boy's piercing brown eyes met his. There was something oddly familiar with the intensity behind the child's stare, and Walter – beyond all logic – could not help but want to assist in some way.

But as the pair disappeared behind the double doors, he realized he had missed his chance. For some reason, though, he had to know more about them. The genius spent the next few minutes rapidly finishing up his given task and then turned off his computer before approaching Ricky. Crossing his arms in front of him and leaning against the counter, Walter pinned his bottom lip between his teeth before asking, "Who were they?"

"Trouble," Ricky replied absentmindedly as he pulled out his cash box, covered it and printed out a statement. "Every month or so, that woman comes in with her son in her arms, begging for assistance. We gave her a few loans over the last six months, and she's been able to pay them off for a while, but she lost her job recently."

"Are there not… extenuating circumstances for single mothers?" Walter frowned as Ricky shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no. However, if she really needs assistance, she should go find a church. Not a bank." Ricky added with a gruff. "Seriously, people have no common sense these days."

Though Walter very much agreed with Ricky's statement, he had a strong feeling that _that_ woman was not an idiot. Just desperate. "What's her name, and how much is her debt with this bank?"

"Sorry. Can't disclose that information to you. Client confidentiality, remember?" Ricky almost laughed as he bent down to tie his shoe. "However," he looked up momentarily, "if you wanted to pay it off, I could at least let you in on the amount."

Having a soft spot for young kids, Walter nodded. "Fine. I'll settle it, whatever it is." He had $375 in cash on his person so it should be enough to cover whatever debt the woman had.

He hoped.

After tying the other shoe, Ricky slowly straightened his back and started typing away at his computer. "She currently owes…," he clicked a few buttons on the screen, "$1,073."

Walter nearly choked. "$1,073?! Why does she owe so much?"

Ricky shrugged. "Rent? Car payment? Electricity and water bills? Food? There's tons of reasons why people need loans, Einstein. And since she has no solid income, we can't lend out more money when we don't even know when she will be able to pay her last loan back."

Walter sighed.

Aside from the cash he had in his wallet, he had an account utilized solely for his research on his sister's condition and money saved up in another account for his future company establishment. But because he wouldn't dare touch the fund used for Megan's benefit, he was willing to tap into his company savings to assist the woman and her child. So much for leaving in a few months.

"Okay," Walter rolled his neck slowly and pinched his nose, not understanding why he was doing what he was doing, but there was just something about that woman and her child he couldn't ignore. "I'll pay $373 of it in cash tonight, and I'll settle the rest of it tomorrow after I go to my personal bank to withdraw the necessary amount." He dug his left hand into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Will that suffice?"

Ricky gave Walter a small smile as the genius slipped his wallet back into his back pocket. "Sure. After tomorrow, I'll notify the woman that her loan has been settled."

"Thank you," Walter nodded as he gave Ricky $375. "I'd like to remain anonymous if possible."

"Of course," Ricky replied as he placed the money inside the cash box, handed Walter back two dollars and adjusted the woman's debt. "Now you only have $700 left to pay."

"Copy that," Walter mumbled, pocketing the two dollars into his front left pocket. "Anyway, I've finished upgrading the security system. I'm going to call it a night and start analyzing that data we received today tomorrow when I come in."

"Sounds good." Ricky waved Walter off as the genius gathered is computer bag and circled around the counter before clocking out. "See ya tomorrow, O'Brien."

"Yeah," Walter absentmindedly replied as he headed for the double doors, "tomorrow." After pushing his way through the doors, he made his way towards his Datsun when he noticed the woman from earlier standing underneath a bus stop shelter with her son sleeping in her arms. Walter glanced at his watch and noted that the bus wasn't due for another ten minutes.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and watched her closely. She was pacing, possibly rocking her son to sleep in the process, but she was definitely pacing impatiently. Walter wasn't sure if he should approach her or stay still, but he felt the two dollars still in his pocket and pursed his lips.

Maybe two lousy dollars would help the pair out more than it would him.

With a stride in his step, Walter crossed the street and jogged over to the woman. At first, she was alarmed, preparing to run, but he held out a hand to stop her and said, "It's okay," as he panted. He really needed to work out a little bit more. "I'm not here to rob you… or hurt you… or anything."

Cautiously, she held her son tighter to her body, protecting him with all of her might as she eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Nobody," the genius answered way too quickly. "I'm nobody… just a tech analyst." It was probably best he didn't reveal his name to her since he most likely won't see her again. "I just… I saw you at the bank earlier…, and I know this is a bit u-unorthodox since you d-don't even know me, and I d-don't even know you, but I w-wanted to," he straightened himself up and took a deep breath, "I wanted to g-give you this," he pulled out two crumpled dollars and waved them in the air. "It's all I have on me right now, but based on extenuating factors, I'm quite certain you need these two dollars more than I do."

The woman's eyes welled up with tears, but after she swallowed, she looked away from him. "I don't need pity money."

"It's not… pity money…."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him with disbelief.

He held up his other hand and briefly explained himself, "I'm… different than other people. I don't have feelings. I don't experience them, and I never have experienced them so with my extraordinarily high IQ, giving someone money out of sympathy would be… a wrongful and illogical assumption. I just… merely compared your situation to mine and weighed the facts. Logically, you _do_ need these two dollars more than me." He forced a chuckle, "So, technically, you wouldn't be receiving pity money. Just… money… from one person to another." He immediately stopped talking when she smiled sweetly at him and laughed a little.

"You really are different, aren't you?"

Walter swallowed thickly. "Yeah."

The woman carefully placed her sleeping son on the bench behind her and bit her lip as she turned towards him. "What's your name? I'll pay you back."

"No need," Walter shook his head swiftly. "Consider it a gift," he smiled a little more. "I know it's… not exactly breadwinning money, but… I'm sure it'll help somehow." He didn't dare tell her what happened to the rest of his cash. He extended his hand to her again. "Please," he found himself pleading, "take it and use it however you need to."

The woman inhaled a deep breath and smiled softly before briefly touching her hand to his, sliding the money into her palm. The sensation tingled a little, but Walter decided he would file it away and analyze it later. "Thank you," she blew out a shaky breath as her eyes welled up with tears again. Uh oh. She was going to cry. Walter began to panic; he didn't handle crying well and would feel like a jerk if he tried escaping without mediating the situation.

But as she clenched her fingers around the two dollars, she didn't shed a single tear.

"Do you, uh, do you have money for the bus fare?" Walter found himself asking as she slipped the money into her front pocket, and she nodded.

"I only had $1.50 left, but now I have $3.50 left." She then beamed and licked her lips slowly. "I'll remember your kindness." She then cocked her head to the left, "You still haven't told me your name yet."

"Oh, um," Walter hesitated for a moment, "W-Walter." He cleared his throat. "My name is Walter."

The woman licked her lips again. "Walter," she muttered softly. "That's a lovely name. It fits you well."

His cheeks flushed deeply as he wondered how the hell a single woman could make him react in such a strange way. The warmth behind his cheeks was a new sensation he had never experienced before, and for some reason, some completely illogical reason, he couldn't help but want to hear the beautiful woman say his name again. Repeatedly.

"Paige," the woman suddenly said as she swept her son up into her arms. The boy stirred a little but remained in a deep sleep even as he yawned. "And this is Ralph."

Walter watched them with fascination, and he could see the resemblance immediately. The young boy had his mother's eyes, her nose and her lips, and there was something about the way he slept soundly in her arms that highly intrigued Walter.

He suddenly wanted to know even more about the pair, but as he opened his mouth to speak, the bus pulled up, and the driver opened its doors.

"I should go…," Paige shifted Ralph's weight a little bit as she graciously smiled at him. "Thank you, Walter," she closed the gap between them with a gentle kiss to his warm cheek, and as he froze in place, she took a small step back. "Your kindness means a lot," she paused before adding with a shy smile, "I hope this isn't the last time we meet."

"Okay," Walter squeaked before clearing his throat loudly and forcing out a strained, "M-Me too."

Laughing quietly, Paige kissed Ralph's crown and whispered, "Bye…."

"Bye," Walter found himself waving as she stepped inside the bus, paid the $1.50 bus fare and took her seat near the back. She waved back at him, her smile never leaving her plump lips as the bus carried her and her son away into the night.

And when the genius realized he was still waving, he awkwardly brought his hand to the back of his head and scratched his neck as he slowly returned to his Datsun, wondering if he would ever see Paige and Ralph again.

He surely hoped so.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

 **Six years later…**

Walter was sure he was looking at the same mother and child he had helped many years ago and closely watched the child as he played with diner condiments. He noticed how the boy moved away from his mom as she tried to hug him, and Walter pursed his lips.

He suddenly stepped down from his ladder and walked over to the boy before moving a creamer packet. The boy quickly responded by pushing an empty dressing container, and then he took away the creamer. Walter counteracted his move swiftly, moving a cup of gravy. Ralph removed the cup and stacked it on top of the creamer before moving another piece.

"Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh," Walter mumbled as he moved a salt shaker with a pepper shaker. The boy then stopped and looked at him curiously.

"Excuse me," Paige marched over to Walter as the boy turned towards his mother. Paige made eye contact with Ralph before meeting Walter's eyes. "Can I help you?"

She didn't seem to remember him so instead of forcing her to remember, he shook his head slowly and muttered, "No, but you should help _him_." And as he turned towards the door, he swung his laptop case forward and glanced at the owner. "Wireless is up." As the owner nodded towards him, he then added, "Don't yell at that boy."

After he unlocked his Datsun, he glanced at the mother who was wiping down the counter before finding himself staring at Ralph in awe.

Paige's child was a genius…

Maybe…

Maybe he could actually help them out in more ways after all.

…

He would certainly like to try.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

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 **WriterFreak001:**

I loved playing with this idea.

:)

This will be a three-part story. Next chapter will feature Paige's POV, and the third will be sort of an epilogue. I won't write the next two chapters until after I finish _Worth_ though. ;) So please have patience!

As always, read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

**WriterFreak001:**

I said I would have _Worth_ 5 up long before now, but because it's the "smut" chapter, I wanted to take more time writing it to make it worth reading. And because I'm going to take a little bit more time to work on the last chapter, I'm going to take a small break and finish this one since it's an easier piece to work with. :)

I'll one day have my writing life figured out.

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 **Once Before**

 **Written by WriterFreak001**

 **Part 2**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

She inhaled a deep breath as she crossed the street with her son in her arms and exhaled as she sat down to wait for the city bus. With Ralph resting against her bosom, Paige rocked him back and forth and hummed softly as her toddler drifted to sleep. She pressed a gentle kiss to his temple and held him tighter. "I'm sorry, baby," she muttered quietly, "I'm really trying here, Ralphie, but… I don't know…," her voice cracked, but she absolutely refused to cry in front of her son, "I don't know what's going to happen after tonight."

She continued humming her special lullaby and rocking her son in her arms as she blinked back more tears. She had no idea how she was going to get herself out of debt or provide food for her son tomorrow, but she couldn't give up now. There was no _way_ she would ever give up, but… she was tired and hungry and her feet hurt from walking all over LA, and her voice was hoarse from talking to so many people, so many organizations, so many churches….

She inhaled deeply and exhaled as her chest tightened and her stomach squelched. Swallowing thickly, Paige turned slightly and kissed her son's soft cheek for comfort. "We will figure something out," she mumbled into his ear before kissing him again. "I promise."

Needing to stretch out her legs a little bit, Paige slowly rose to her feet and gently bounced her son in her arms as she paced the ground. "When we get home, Ralphie," she shifted him upward to have a better grip around him and then smoothed down his blue rocket shirt as he gently buried his face against the crook of her neck as though he was listening to her, "I'm going to tuck you into bed, give you a bunch of kisses goodnight, and then I'll ask our wonderful neighbor, Mrs. Weathersby, to watch you for a few hours while I look for work. Mrs. Weathersby is always very nice to us, isn't she?" Paige paused to brush her fingers through her son's thick, dark hair. "She likes you a lot because of how quiet you are, and you're always so good and well behaved whenever she's watching you."

Paige closed her eyes briefly as her nose burned, fearing what the future might hold for her and her son. "I promise," she mumbled again, "I promise that no matter what happens to us, I'll never let anyone take you away from me, Ralphie. We're a pair, and as long as we're together," she kissed his crown as he slept soundly in her arms, "everything will somehow be okay."

Paige wanted so much to cry and scream and throw up, but until she was alone, all she allowed herself to do was hold her son as tightly as possible and pray for some much needed answers.

As she mindlessly watched the cars whiz past the bus stop, she noticed the nicer-looking man from the bank briskly walking towards her. Alarmed, Paige tightened her hold around Ralph and took a step back, preparing herself for anything. Out of breath, he stopped a few feet in front of her and hunched over before raising his palm. "It's okay," his voice was gentle, "I'm not here to rob you… or hurt you… or anything."

Paige took another step back. "Who are you?"

"Nobody," the man answered swiftly. "I'm nobody… just a tech analyst." He paused briefly as he straightened himself. "I just… I saw you at the bank earlier…, and I know this is a bit u-unorthodox since don't even know me, and I d-don't even know you, but I wanted to…," Paige watched him dig his left hand into his pocket and withdraw two dollars, "I wanted to give you this." He waved them in the air and extended his hand to her. "I wanted to g-give you this. It's all I have on me right now, but based on extenuating factors, I'm quite certain you need these two dollars more than I do."

Paige gazed blankly at him as her eyes welled up with tears. Embarrassed, she looked away from him. "I don't need pity money."

"It's not… pity money…," he replied, but she didn't believe him.

Raising his other hand, he began explaining himself. "I'm… different than other people. I don't have feelings. I don't experience them, and I never have experienced them so with my extraordinarily high IQ, giving someone money out of sympathy would be… a wrongful and illogical assumption. I just… merely compared your situation to mine and weighed the facts. Logically, you _do_ need these two dollars more than me." He chuckled., "So, technically, you wouldn't be receiving pity money. Just… money… from one person to another." Paige gave him a little smile and giggled, not expecting such an… interesting response.

"You really are different, aren't you?"

He gulped and pursed his lips. "Yeah."

Paige turned slightly and carefully placed her sleeping son on top of the bench behind her. Biting her bottom lip, she returned the man's gaze and asked, "What's your name? I'll pay you back."

"No need," He shook his head and smiled even more. "Consider it a gift." Paige couldn't help but grin at his generosity. "I know it's… not exactly breadwinning money," he continued, "but… I'm sure it'll help somehow Please," he pleaded, "take it and use it however you need to."

Feeling as though her prayers were slowly being answered, she inhaled deeply, feeling overwhelmed with so much emotion, and then smiled as he turned his hand over and slid the money into her palm. She could feel his fingers lingering on her skin a little longer than usual, but she didn't complain. The pads of his fingers were slightly rough but gentle, and she could have sworn he had felt that tingle too before his hand slipped off of hers.

Paige suddenly felt more relieved than she did an hour ago, and if she wasn't accepting money from a perfect stranger, she would pounce him and give him a big, fat kiss for helping her. "Thank you," her eyes shimmered with tears. _Thank you so much_.

"Do you, uh," the man scratched the back of his head as she folded the money and slipped it into her front pocket, "do you have money for the bus fare?"

Paige nodded slowly. "I only had $1.50 left, but now I have $3.50 left." She swiped her tongue across her lip and quietly added, "I'll remember your kindness." The man then flushed, and she cocked her head a little and then took a step closer to him, "You still haven't told me your name yet."

"Oh, um," he hesitated for a moment, "W-Walter." He cleared his throat loudly. "My name is Walter."

Paige licked her lips again. "Walter," she muttered softly and beamed wider. "That's a lovely name. It fits you well."

Walter blushed, and Paige silently giggled. She then turned to scoop her son back into her arms as she introduced herself. "Paige," she said as she felt her son squirm in her embrace, "And this is Ralph."

Walter watched her closely, curious as to what he might be thinking about, but before she could ask and before he could say something else, the bus slowed to a stop, and the doors flew open as various people stepped down onto the pavement.

"I should go…," Paige adjusted her hold on Ralph and then gave Walter another appreciative smile. "Thank you, Walter," she advanced him and closed the gap between them, giving him a little peck to his cheek. She then took a step back as he tensed. "Your kindness means a lot," Paige smiled shyly, adding, "I hope this isn't the last time we meet."

"Okay," Walter squeaked, causing her to chuckle a little bit more. "M-Me too."

Paige's eyes fluttered at the man before she kissed Ralph's head goodnight. "Bye…." She turned away from him and stepped onto the bus. Moving all the way to the back, she took a seat next to the window on the right side of the bus and spotted Walter still standing at the bus stop. With her smile widening even more, she waved at him as the bus began moving and didn't stop waving until the man disappeared into the night.

"Thank you, Walter," she whispered to herself as she leaned back against the seat and giving her son a gentle kiss to the brow. "Thank you _so_ much."

…

Paige stirred awake when she felt her son tug on her hand and fluttered her eyes open as he started pulling her out of her seat. She looked at him with curiosity and then looked out the window, realizing where they were. She smiled at her son and then followed the line of people exiting the bus.

When they were walking towards the street of their apartment, Paige squeezed Ralph's small hand. "Do you want me to carry you home so you can sleep more?"

The boy shook his head, tightening his hold on his mother's fingers.

Paige suppressed her distress regarding her son's continuous silence and gave him a small smile. "Okay." She let him continue to guide her back to the apartment, but the moment she saw a pink notice taped to her front door, her smile faded immediately. Her eyes scanned the darkness and made out a pile of their belongings tossed along the curb. She swallowed her sob and approached the small mountain while still holding Ralphie's hand. The first thing she noticed was her son's teddy bear resting in a patch of dirt, and before looking for her valuables, she reached for the bear's arm and carefully picked it up. Gently, she dusted off the dirt before giving it to Ralph; he immediately released her hand and wrapped his arms around it tightly.

Collecting the rest of their things into their shared suitcase, Paige rose to her feet and extended the handle of the luggage bag with one hand and taking Ralph's in the other. "Come on, Ralphie," Paige withdrew a shaky breath as her son looked up at her. She could tell he could understand what was going on and could see his eyes shimmering with fear. "We'll figure this out, baby," she bent down to kiss his crown, "I promise."

Without looking behind her, Paige started walking away from the apartment complex with Ralph beside her, and they kept walking for an hour until she spotted a diner with a Help Wanted sign posted outside the building. "Let's go in there, Ralphie, and rest a while, okay?"

The boy nodded quietly, following his mother towards the diner. Paige parked their suitcase next to a booth and lifted her son onto the bench before approaching the counter.

A Russian voice caught her attention as a man with grey hair and a dirty towel draped over his shoulder advanced the cash register. "May I help you, ma'am?"

Paige nodded. "How much are your ice cream cones?"

"Two dollars."

The young mother's nose burned as a smile colored her lips. She carefully dipped her hand into her pocket and placed those two special dollars down on the counter, and grinned a little bit wider. "I'll have one, please."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

 **Six Years Later…**

She noticed him right away as he interacted with her son, and she watched him closely for a moment, wondering if he had remembered them… Her heart fluttered as she noticed her precious Ralphie responding to whatever Walter, she was pretty sure that was his name, was doing to those condiments.

As the older man mumbled something incomprehensive to her son, she felt like it was time to intervene. "Excuse me," she marched over to him and glanced at her son before meeting Walter's deep brown eyes, "Can I help you?"

The man pursed his lips and crawled back into his shell as he took a step back from her son. He must not remember them _after_ all. "No," he shook his head and made his way to the door, "but you should help _him_."

Paige blinked and stared at him as he whirled around and shouted, "Wireless is up." As he pushed the door open, he then added, "Don't yell at that boy."

The young mother pressed her lips together to a fine line and then slowly smiled. He might not remember them, but he was still bizarrely caring, and she hoped and prayed she would see him again.

He was the man who had ultimately changed her life.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

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 **WriterFreak001:**

I tried not to rewrite everything from the first part of the story, but I felt like some of it was still essential. :) One more part to go!


	3. Chapter 3

**WriterFreak001:**

I have changed this story to M because of the ending so be sure to change your Rating filters. ;)

This installment is the last of this story, and it will be a short chapter. Enjoy none the less. This part of the story will take place at the end of 2x12 after Megan's tribute, but let's pretend Linda and Tim never existed in this Scorpion universe so that this story can end the way I want it to end. ;)

* * *

 **Once Before**

 **Written by WriterFreak001**

 **Part 3**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

Long after everyone else left the beach for the night, Ralph was curled up in the sand, his head resting against his crossed arms, sleeping soundly, while Paige was still standing next to Walter, _still_ holding his hand and _still_ rubbing her thumb over his knuckle. Somewhere along the night after the last few went home, Paige had leaned closer to Walter and had pressed her cheek against his arm, letting the comfortable silence between them speak for her as she closed her eyes. Walter, now many minutes later, still couldn't believe how close she was to him, and though he was only beginning to understand the depth of his feelings for her, he wanted her incredibly closer in every sense of the word; physically, emotionally, mentally – he wanted it all, but… did she?

He couldn't bear the thought of rejection, and Paige… rejecting him… was something he didn't think he'd be able to survive. She was everything to him.

In so many ways, Paige was Walter's foundation. He often sought her strength, her determination, her loyalty and her trust whenever he was lost, and whenever he felt alone, even if he couldn't find the strength to go to her, she knew exactly what he needed and was always there, comforting him any way she could. He was beginning to understand the concept of a soulmate because she was _it_ for him, and he strongly believed he was ready to change his views of the world and consider revisiting his decision to 'let things lie' between him and Paige. He thought he could handle admiring her from afar, but he was in too deep now, and she was his only salvation.

"What you did for Megan…," Paige suddenly muttered as she touched her nose to his arm, "That was a very beautiful sentiment, Walter," she smiled as he found her eyes glimmering at him. "Megan must be smiling from the stars by now."

Walter, even though he didn't believe in an afterlife, simply nodded and slowly grinned, squeezing her fingers gently. "Yeah," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear, "She always loved the stars…." He watched Paige marvel at the stars in the sky, but when she didn't say anything, Walter spoke again. "About the time she started losing mobility in her legs, she asked me to take her somewhere to go stargazing. Understanding the appeal, I agreed and took her to Griffith Observatory for a private viewing in the lawn, and once I had finished setting up the telescope, I couldn't help but wonder _why_ Megan loved the stars so much. I mean, for me, it was astronomy – math and science, but for her, I knew it had to be a different reason because Megan _hated_ science."

Paige glanced at him with curiosity. "Did you ask her?"

The genius nodded but didn't look at the liaison when he answered. "Her response was… not what I was expecting, and though her logic was scientifically incorrect, I wasn't, strangely, averse to her answer."

"And what did she say?"

Walter shrugged, watching Paige mindlessly curl a strand of hair behind her ear. "Contrary to scientific discovery, she loved them because they were always there, unchanging and constant. When she started losing her mobility, her condition became very real to her, and every day gone was another day closer to…," he paused and inhaled a shaky breath before letting it out slowly, "But no matter how much her body was changing, no matter how fast her condition was progressing, the stars comforted her because," his chest began to feel heavy, "because they reminded her of me…."

Paige's nose burned, and her eyes stung with tears as Walter gave her a sad smile, tears threatening to fall from his own eyes, but he didn't let them as he sniffed and then squeezed Paige's hand tighter. The liaison found herself pressing her lips to Walter's arm as another source of comfort, and she leaned as close as she could to him to give him as much emotional support as she could (even if he didn't think he needed it). She inhaled deeply and then offered him a small smile before saying, "You were a good brother to her, Walter. Don't ever think otherwise."

Walter was silent for a moment and then chuckled lightly, in desperate need to shift the focus on the conversation. "She, uh, she often asked about you just about every time I visited."

"Oh? She did?"

The genius nodded. "She really seemed to like you – which, of course, is unsurprising because, well," Walter flushed as he caught Paige cocking an eyebrow and smirking at him, "um," he cleared his throat, "you're you…. W-What's not to like?" Walter waited a beat, and when he saw Paige's eyes light up, he continued. "A-Anyway, she kept saying that she approved of you and that you had her blessing… though she didn't elaborate as to what she was referring to…." Walter clapped his hands and rubbed them slowly together as a small smile colored his lips. "You, uh… You know anything about what she might have meant?"

Paige quickly schooled her features to hide her rosy cheeks before answering Walter's question. "Nope," she shook her head and feigned absolute cluelessness, "No idea."

"Oh," Walter mumbled to himself and frowned when he realized Paige's fingers were slipping away from his. On impulse, before he lost her warmth altogether, he reached out for her hand and clasped his around hers again, forcing her to turn around and give him a surprising stare. But before he tried explaining to her why he desperately needed to keep holding her hand, she somehow understood, and a beautiful smile colored her rosy lips. The genius straightened his back and pursed his lips as he suppressed his desire to kiss her again. "M-Maybe we should start heading back?"

The woman nodded in agreement and stepped closer to him. "Yeah, good idea. Even though the team's gone home," she pulled out her phone to check the time, "it's still early enough in the night to have that Christmas party I spent weeks planning."

"With just the three of us?" Walter lifted an eyebrow as he directed his gaze towards the sleeping boy behind Paige.

"Sure, why not," Paige smiled with a shrug. "After all, I can't let all of that decorating go to waste, can I?"

The man shook his head. "Of course not."

"Then it's settled," Paige grinned ear to ear while squeezing Walter's hand tightly. "You pick up Ralph, and I'll go and get the car started. Deal?"

Walter nodded and smiled slowly. "Deal."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

Though Ralph had only been able to stay up for another hour after returning to the garage to enjoy his favorite Christmas dessert his mother had slaved herself into making the night before, he was thoroughly pleased when Paige said he could open _one_ of his gifts before going to bed. Of course he would choose the biggest box addressed to him from his mother.

Unable to lift the box by himself, Ralph looked to Walter for assistance, the older genius slipped off of the red sofa and helped the boy lift the heavy, rectangular box out from under the tree. Once it was placed on the floor, Ralph wasted no time at all ripping that sucker open, revealing a state of the art telescope to replace the one he lost on the train many months ago.

"Wow!" Ralph took a step back to marvel at the graphics on the box and then smiled excitedly. "How did you manage to get this model? It's not even on the market yet."

Paige, matching her little Ralphy's grin, exchanged a quick, endearing glance at Walter and giggled softly. "Let's just say," she returned her attention to her son and leaned towards him, "I have friends in high pla—Oomph!" The woman was pleasantly interrupted as her son threw his arms around her for a tight hug, something she hadn't received from him in a very long time. Her heart swelled as she wrapped her arms around her little boy, embracing him tightly, and when he eventually wiggled out of her arms, he whispered in her ear how much he loved her – another something she didn't receive too often, but damn did it feel good when she did. Ralph gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before climbing off of her and grinned, his dimples more present than usual. "Merry Christmas, Mom," he then turned towards his mentor. "Merry Christmas to you too, Walt."

"Merry Christmas, Ralph / baby," the genius and the liaison said in unison as Ralph wrapped his arms around his telescope box. Paige rose to her feet and walked up to her son, running her hands through his thick hair. "Okay, Ralphy. It's bed time. Say goodnight to Walter so we can get going."

Walter, suddenly alarmed, wasn't ready for Paige (and Ralph) to leave yet. He still wanted to give Paige her gift (one of many) tonight. "He can sleep in my bed… in the loft," he offered before he could stop himself. "It's late, and both of you are coming back in the morning anyway, so… it would be efficient if you just… stayed the night."

"Walter, we can't impose…," Paige replied, pressing her lips together as she picked up Ralph's telescope box.

"You're not!" He exclaimed louder than necessary. "I mean," he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, "you won't be… a-an imposition. B-Besides, R-Ralph's tired, a-and you're exhausted. Driving home would be reckless… Unless," he decided not to make her feel cornered, "if you want, I can take you back to your apartment…."

Paige looked at her son, and was taken aback by his pleading eyes. How could she say no to that? Turning to Walter, she rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, okay. We'll stay."

For the second time that night, Ralph gave her another hug, almost toppling her over. Then, in a mad rush, he grabbed Walter's hand and tugged him towards the box in Paige's arms. "Help me take this upstairs," Ralph demanded in the politest voice he could offer late at night as he gazed at his mentor with pleading eyes, "And then tomorrow, before everyone gets here in the morning, can we build it together?"

Walter first looked at the boy's mother, and she nodded, still smiling as wide as ever. He then grinned back at Ralph and took the box from Paige before saying, "Sounds like a plan, buddy."

"Cool!" Ralph exclaimed before running up the stairs with Walter in tow. Paige, needing to make sure her son wouldn't forget to brush his teeth, wash his face and change his underwear, followed slowly, not being able to stop smiling up at her favorite pair of geniuses.

As she entered the loft, she half expected her son to start disassembling the box tonight, but the scene she found as she walked towards Walter's bed was much more welcoming and memorable. Ralph, by some Christmas miracle, was already in his blue, flannel PJs, waiting for Walter to prepare the bed. The older genius carefully peeled back the covers and stepped aside as Ralph climbed onto the mattress, and as Walter covered the boy and tucked him in, Paige's heart melted.

This man was truly the one for her.

Once her son was ready for bed, she walked up to him and gave him a brief kiss on the forehead before smoothing his hair to one side of his face. ""Did you brush your teeth?"

"Check," Ralph nodded.

"Wash your face?"

"Check."

"Change into clean underwear."

"Check," Ralph replied, giving her a thumb's up.

Paige beamed and kissed his nose. "That's my boy." She then kissed his forehead. "I love you, baby."

"Same," was all that he said with a quiet, tired voice before yawning, the exhaustion finally settling in. "Good night, Mom." The boy then turned towards Walter and yawned again. "Good night, Walt."

"Good night," Mother and mentor replied in unison before quietly exiting the bedroom. After they made their way back downstairs, both of them headed towards the tree. Paige picked up a thin, small box, and he dropped down to fetch a tiny box as well. Tonight would be the night he was going to tell her he remembered her from all those many years ago. He needed her to know; he needed her to see that their relationship – at least the beginning of their relationship – didn't start at the diner. Because, to be honest, ever since he met her at the bank when Ralph was a toddler, he had never stopped thinking of her.

The young mother and son he helped that night never left his mind, and he needed her to know that.

"Here," Paige bit her lip as she handed him a present. "I know it's not much, but trust me, I have more gifts for you, but I thought this was better given in private."

Walter carefully lifted the top of the white box to reveal a neatly folded piece of paper. Mindlessly placing down the lid on the coffee table, he strolled over to the couch as he unfolded it. And when Paige sat down beside him, nervously awaiting his response, he couldn't help but grin widely at her as he realized what he was holding.

"Is this… Real?"

"Well, it's a photocopy, but yeah," a smile colored Paige's lips. "It's real. As of last week, you are now officially Ralph's emergency contact in case I'm unable to be reached. Because of all of the dangerous cases lately, I figured it wouldn't hurt putting down another contact…."

"Wow," Walter was delightedly amazed. He held the document in his hands as though it could dissolve any moment and inhaled deeply as he tried to wrap his mind around the level of trust this woman had for him with her son. "This is…," he couldn't describe it, but he was greatly pleased. He grinned wider than he thought possible. "Thank you. Truly," he nodded, "This means a lot to me…, but…"

"But you want to know why I didn't put Drew's name down," Paige deduced, and he nodded. Paige gave him a small shrug and leaned back against the sofa as she crossed her arms in front of her. "I know Drew is Ralph's father, but I can't depend on him to always be there when he's needed. If something happened to Ralph, of course I would tell him, or at least try to tell him, but… he's constantly travelling. I needed to appoint someone I could trust completely with Ralph… Someone who was willing to drop everything and be there for him if necessary… And I trust you, Walter. Completely and absolutely, and I see the way you are with Ralph. You'd do anything for him, and that's… that's huge to a single mother like me." She paused and offered him an appreciating smile.

"I also needed someone who knew me well enough to make tough decisions for Ralph in case I wasn't able to…, and while we're on the subject," she hesitated for a moment as she licked her lips and, once again, curled that stubborn strand of hair behind her ear, "I'd like to make you my Medical Power of Attorney sometime in the near future. If we're going to continue to take potentially dangerous cases, then I need to be prepared in all facets, and, again, in the same respect, you're the only one I can trust to know what I want if it ever came down to me being unable to make conscious decisions about my health."

Walter was speechless, truly speechless, but after a moment of silence, he eventually said, "Okay." How could he argue with her on something so sensitive? He wanted to say 'no' and beg her not to think so negatively, but she was right. It was definitely important to cover all necessary bases, but first, he had to take care of a few things before filing the paperwork. Especially if said paperwork would spark suspicion within the USCIS department of Homeland. Not wanting to upset the woman next to him and definitely not wanting to tell her – yet – about that rather large setback, he simply smiled and said, "We'll file the paperwork soon, then."

"Great," Paige grinned to ease the tension, and then spotted the gift sitting on the opposite side of Walter. "Is that for me?"

"Oh! Um, yeah," Walter nodded swiftly as he reached over to the terribly wrapped box and placed it into her soft hands. "It's, uh, it's not really a conventional gift, but… I swear, there's context," Walter said as she ripped off the paper and popped off the box's lid. After placing down everything but a folded piece of paper down on the coffee table, she carefully unfolded the document and took a moment to figure out what she was looking at. The first thing she saw was a statement of an alarmingly high amount of money, just over a thousand dollars, paid to a bank she didn't recognize.

"What am I looking at?" Paige asked quietly as she searched the document for more clues, but before he could answer, she gasped rather loudly, and her eyes widened with recognition. February 27, 2009 – the very day a perfect stranger, who was unmistakably Walter O'Brien as she had discovered many years later, had generously given her two dollar bills to help out as best he could. With those two dollars, she was able to change her life and her son's life around and work towards making a small living, and then realization finally hit her. He was much more generous that night than she originally thought. After staring at the document for a few more minutes in silence, she lifted her eyes as they glimmered at Walter. "Is this… Is this saying that _you_ were the anonymous benefactor who paid off my loans?"

Walter gulped, unsure how the rest of her reaction was going to be like. "Yes," he nodded. "I… I didn't like my coworker for turning you down, and, well, you know me… When I see a problem, I have to fix it. So I did, but since you didn't know who I was, I asked the banker if he could keep me anonymous," he paused when he saw her tears falling, "You're crying. Why are you crying? Was I wrong to help you out back then?"

Paige dabbed her eyes with tips of her fingers and let out a weak laugh. "I'm okay, Walter," she inhaled a deep breath, "This is just… all overwhelming information." She blew out a shaky breath and smiled at him, and Walter swore, she looked more beautiful to him than she did two seconds ago. "But… I didn't realize… I didn't know you had remembered… about the first time we actually met."

"I never forgot," Walter confessed, boldly taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. "The way you looked at me when you saw me interacting with Ralph in the diner the day of our second encounter made it seem like you didn't recognize me…," he shrugged a little, "I guess I figured that if you did actually remember, you'd approach me and ask me about it."

"Ironically," Paige laughed heartily, "I thought the same thing."

Walter grinned so hard, his cheeks hurt, but he didn't even care. All he wanted to do was throw himself at the woman next to him and kiss her senselessly into the next morning, but he refrained himself by flexing his fingers. Instead, while still beaming at her, he said, "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Paige's eyebrows lifted. "Hm?"

"How our lives have been intertwined for much more than two years, not knowing we would be seeing each other again. When I first started going to the diner, I immediately recognized you, but I kept my distance because I didn't know if you had recognized me, but I'd be lying if I didn't think about our first encounter often after our next interaction. To be honest," Walter blushed deeply, "I, uh, I thought about you and Ralph a lot over the years, wondering how you were and if the two of you had made it out okay." The genius then chuckled. "Who knew _I'd_ actually end up being the one to give you the financial security you were hoping for."

"Life is ironic that way, sometimes," Paige laughed quietly as she licked her lips. "So, not _only_ did you give me a job, officially, but, indirectly, you're the reason I was able to get that waitressing job later that night."

That reminder made Walter smile even more. "And since you got that job, we were able to re-meet approximately five years later."

"Exactly," Paige mindlessly fluttered her eyes at him, still smiling.

"Exactly." Walter repeated, suddenly noticing how much closer Paige was to him. "I g-guess that's what you would call desti—"

He never got to finish his response as Paige carelessly interrupted him with her hands suddenly grabbing his face and slammed her mouth to his in a much unexpected, yet totally gratifying, heated kiss. And when he instinctively threaded his fingers through her silky, brown hair and kissed her back with equal fervor, Paige lowered him backwards along the length of the couch and straddled his crotch as her tongue seized past his lips as soon as he opened his mouth against hers. Humming in pleasure, Paige fluttered her tongue with his own and could feel heat rising between them as he physically reacted to her sudden assault.

Yes, good.

She clutched his curls in short, needy grasps as she slowly rolled her hips over his, gauging a low, arousing growl past Walter's lips as his hands deviously grabbed her ass, wanting to feel that amazing sensation again. So she did, and faster, too, without removing her mouth from Walter's. The less noise they made, the better. She was determined to blow his mind without taking a single piece of clothing off of him – no matter how torturous it might be to dry-hump him when all she wanted to do was strip him naked and go down on him so he knew just how appreciative she was of his generosity.

She would save that present for another day when her son wasn't sleeping thirty feet above their heads. Maybe tomorrow she could convince Sylvester to take Ralph for the night so she could have her wicked way with Walter.

As Paige moaned into the genius's mouth, the gesture emboldened him to flip them over on the couch where he was on the top instead. Paige found the dark look in his eyes incredibly sexy as his mouth claimed hers again, his tongue flitting passionately with hers. She wrapped her legs around him as he pushed his aroused groin against her, pressing against just the right spot between her thighs to elicit a delightful squeak from the woman beneath him. He swallowed her reaction and rolled against her again, prompting the same reaction.

He could get used to this sound.

As his lips finally popped off of Paige's mouth, he leaned slightly backwards to take her in, mesmerized with the way her hair was tousled in various directions, how her lips were pink and swollen, how a mixture of his and his saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth, and he smirked when he felt her roll against him, clearly not finished with him yet. As much as he would like to fulfill all of her wants and needs tonight, he refused to be the cause of any mental scarring her son could procure if he were to come down the stairs and find his mother and mentor christening the garage tonight in the heat of passion.

But damn, did he want to touch and feel the swell of her fleshy breasts against the palm of his hand… Maybe just one feel? No! No, he couldn't. He _shouldn't_. What if Ralph walked down right now and saw him on top of Paige, doing highly inappropriate things to his mother? This, all of this, needed to stop right now.

But before he moved off of her, Paige grabbed his face with her hands again and brought him down for a deep, loving kiss, and he was a goner again. When she parted from him, with her fingers scratching his scalp, she nipped at his lips a few more times with her tongue darting out to tease his before slipping out from underneath him. Her legs were much wobblier than she thought they were going to be so she took a seat next to the genius as he sat up, and then readjusted her blouse as he crossed his legs to hide his arousal.

He hated the fact that he was going to have to take care of _that_ himself, now, but if it meant saving his prodigy's eyes from something that couldn't be unseen, then he would definitely fix _the problem_ without complaint.

"Thank you so much for everything," Paige's velvety, breathless voice pierced through his thoughts, and he watched her as she scooted towards him, her side pressing up against his leg. She better be careful with the physical contact, or they were going to be more than grinding on the sofa if his libido had anything to say about it. "And I mean _everything_ you've done for Ralphy and me. I…," she pecked his lips once, twice, "really appreciate it."

Walter suddenly had an idea. Maybe he wouldn't have to take care of _the problem_ by himself _after all_." He rose to his feet and impulsively grabbed Paige's hand as he started tugging her towards the back of the garage. "Where are we going?"

"I don't think you were finished showing me just _how_ appreciated you are," Walter mumbled in a quick mess of words because right now, he only had one thought on his mind, and it had everything to do with doing _everything_ he promised he _wouldn't_ do tonight. Without any more words exchanged between them, Walter rushed her into the Airstream and locked the door.

And after another wave of passion washed over them, it wasn't too long before Paige was lying on the mattress, legs apart and ready for him. Never, has she ever been more beautiful. And as he carefully buried himself deep inside of her, she wrapped her legs around him again and brought him down for a prolonged kiss. Slowly, he began moving against her in small movements, and she moaned lowly into his mouth as his left hand found her breast, rolling her sensitive nipple between his thumb and forefinger, causing her to toss her head back in ecstasy. She begged him to move faster and squeeze her breast harder, and just as he picked up his rhythm and managed to synchronize with hers, she immediately stopped.

So he stopped moving too.

"Is something wrong?" Walter began to panic. "Did I hurt you? Is it Ralph? Was this too soon?" A million questions spilled out of his mouth but when she hushed him with a kiss, her response was everything short of what he suspected.

"After Ray left," Paige flushed, "You _did_ clean the sheets, didn't you?"

Walter bit his lip and snorted as his body shook with an uncharacteristic onset of amusement, and before both of them knew it, he had accidentally slipped out of her and clutched his sides, curling almost into a ball on top of her with his face resting between her breasts as he shook with laughter. Feeling his fits of laughter bounce off of her body made her giggle too, and soon enough, she was grasping her sides and howling with laughter along with him, unable to stop.

It was going to be an interesting night.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:** I kept changing how I wanted this chapter to end, but I am very satisfied with it now. :)

PLEASE let me know what you think! I need reviews to fuel my writing mojo.


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